U CAN EVANGELIZE CHIILDREN

U
H ow can we follow
H“Go into all the worldthe command ofGospel

U-Can Evangelize Children
Christ

to and preach the
to every creature” when we work with
children? What does it mean to evangelize? Is
there a special Gospel for children? You will
find answers to these and other questions in
this important book. You will discover just how
God works in the lives of the little ones as you
take time to teach His Word faithfully. The
guidelines given come from a careful study of
the scriptures and many years experience in
working among children.
The evangelism of children is a serious work
dependent on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Evangelize
mind, convict the heart of sin and point to the
Children
~
all sufficient work of Christ. This book will help
you engage in a careful biblical evangelism of
children who are in urgent need of God’s great
salvation.
If you are involved in a training ministry what
Guidelines for
better book to use than this one, to help
challenge minds and hearts regarding the need careful and biblical
to evangelize children. evangelism of
children
Dr Sam Doherty
Dr Sam Doherty
Dr Sam Doherty

Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.
Specialized Book Ministry
Dr Sam Doherty
Assisting Children’s Evangelists Worldwide
www.cefbookministry.com

U-can
Evangelize
Children

Guidelines for careful and
biblical evangelism of children

Dr Sam Doherty, BA, EdD.

A series of short ‘U-can’ training manuals for children’s
workers:

U-can Know God’s Plan for Children
U-can Evangelize children
U-can Teach a Bible Lesson
U-can Lead Children to Christ
U-can Help Christian Children to Grow
U-can Counsel a Christian Child

This book is for free distribution only — and not to be sold.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the
New King James Version. Copyright © by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Revised and previously published under the title
“How to Evangelize Children” in May 2003

Published by
Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc. ®

Specialized Book Ministry
Assisting Children’s Evangelists Worldwide
PO Box 308, Lisburn, BT28 2YS, Northern Ireland, UK
© February 2011 All rights reserved

Table of Contents

Introduction ………...........................................…..……..………....... v
Chapter 1: The First Step ......................................….. 1
Chapter 2: Understand The Children…............... …...... 6
Chapter 3: Understand Evangelism ……....……….... 15
Chapter 4: Teach About God In Evangelism ….…. . 25
Chapter 5: Teach About Sin In Evangelism ….….…. 35
Chapter 6: Teach About The Lord Jesus Christ In
Evangelism ................................................................. 40
Chapter 7: Invite The Children To Come To Christ ... 51
Chapter 8: The Children’s Response To The
Invitation Part I – Repentance …………...………..... 60
Chapter 9: The Children’s Response To The
Invitation Part II – Faith ……………….….….…....… 68
Chapter 10: Teach The Children The Results Of
Saving Faith … ......................................................... 73
Chapter 11: Teach That Salvation Is The Beginning
Of A Life Of Obedience ............................................... 80
Chapter 12: Make Yourself Available ……….……… 88
Chapter 13: Use Your Whole Programme
To Evangelize ……...................................................... 99
Chapter 14: The Manner Of Evangelism …....……….101

U-can Evangelize Children v

INTRODUCTION

Before the Lord Jesus Christ returned to Heaven, He gave to
His disciples and to His Church down through the ages a
command. That command was – to evangelize!
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”
(Mark 16 v15).
That command is still relevant for us today. The main reason
why the Lord Jesus has left us, as believers, here on the earth is
so that we might evangelize the lost. This is something we cannot
do in Heaven!
A very large section of the world’s population consists of
children. In some countries almost one half of the total
population is under the age of fourteen. This command,
therefore, includes them, and gives to the Church of Jesus Christ
the responsibility to evangelize and preach the Gospel to millions
of boys and girls. This evangelistic outreach to the children needs
to be undertaken by individuals, by local churches, by missionary
societies, and also by organisations which specialize in the
evangelism of children. One organisation which makes the
evangelism of children their priority and their speciality is Child
Evangelism Fellowship, the Mission with which I worked for 57
years.
Children need to be evangelized. Boys and girls without Jesus
Christ are spiritually dead, outside God’s kingdom, and lost as
far as their position is concerned. If they have reached the age
of understanding and accountability (which is much earlier than
most people think), and are not saved, they will, if they die, be
lost forever.
But children can be saved – through the preaching of the
Gospel, and as the Holy Spirit works in their hearts. But how
can they be saved “without a preacher”? (Romans 10 v14). Many
of us have been given the responsibility, and the privilege, of
taking the Gospel to these children and of evangelizing them.

vi Introduction

May we not fail to do so.
Unfortunately there are many who work with children and
who even teach them the Word of God – but don’t evangelize
them:
Some of these teachers are themselves not saved. So it is
obvious that they cannot, and will not, evangelize the
children.
Some of these teachers are saved, but they do not believe
that children can be saved, and so they do not evangelize
them.
However there are other teachers who are saved, and who
do believe that children can be saved, but they don’t
evangelize them because they don’t know how to do so.
This book will, I trust, be a special help to this third group,
although I pray it will also challenge the second group to start
evangelizing the children.
I have written this book, therefore, to help those who want
to evangelize children. I trust it will help those especially who
are just beginning their ministry to children; but I pray that it
will also be a means of help and guidance to those who are
already evangelizing children. I hope that it will encourage and
enable each of us to examine our ministry to ensure that it is
completely biblical.
My primary goal in writing this book is that children will
trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, and I want to help
you, dear children’s worker, to be the channel which God uses
to evangelize the children and lead them to Jesus Christ.
“Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that
one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18 v14).
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature’” (Mark 16 v15).

U-can Evangelize Children 1

Chapter 1:
The First Step

In our examination of the evangelism of children we will need
to study two subjects:
First of all, we will need to study the MESSAGE of salvation
which we should teach to unsaved children when we are
evangelizing them.
Then, secondly, we will need to study the METHODS
which we should use when we are teaching the message
of salvation.
In other words there are two main questions which we will
need to consider in this book:
What is the message of salvation?
What are the methods we should use in our evangelism?

The Bible Gives Us the Answers
But before answering those questions we need to ask, and
answer, one key question, or group of questions.
Where do we find our guidelines for evangelism?
Where is the only place where questions such as these
can be answered?
Where can we find the message of salvation?
Where can we discover the methods we should use?
The answers to all these questions, for every true believer,
can only be found in the Bible, God’s Word. God has given us
His Word to guide us in every aspect of our lives and service,
and that includes our evangelism. Therefore we need to read
and study the Bible to find the answers to these two key questions
concerning the message and methods in our evangelism. The
answers must come from the Word of God and not from the
words, or theories, of men .

2 Chapter 1

But a further question comes automatically to our mind:
where in the Bible will we find the answers to these two
questions? Which part of the Bible will be our primary source
book, and guidebook, as far as the preaching of the Gospel is
concerned?
There are several answers to that question – but we will see
later that there is one answer which is especially important.

Study the Old Testament
There is much teaching in the Old Testament to help us to
understand the message of salvation. The power of God in
creation, His holiness, His justice, and His power to redeem His
people, are clearly revealed in the Old Testament, and all of
these factors occupy a vital part in the message of salvation.
There are also many descriptive accounts of men and women in
the Old Testament, who had a desire to turn from their sin, and
who were saved by faith in God, and in His promises. The Old
Testament, in addition, contains many pictures and types of the
Saviour Who was to come to save from sin.
Consequently, a study of the Old Testament will be a
valuable and necessary task for those who want to understand
the message of salvation which they should teach the children.
In addition, the teaching and “the atmosphere” of the Old
Testament will help us to see the importance of carefulness, and
reverence, in how we present that message, and will ensure that
the methods we use are in accordance with the message we
teach. The Old Testament (or the New Testament) has no place
for clowns, comedians or magicians!

Study the New Testament
But it is in the New Testament where we find the full
revelation of the Gospel and the message of salvation. Therefore
the answers to our two main questions concerning the message
of salvation and the methods of evangelism can be primarily,
and more directly, found in the twenty-seven books of the New
Testament.


But this leads to a further question. The New Testament
consists of four sections. While all four sections will help us in
our search, which one will give us the fullest and clearest
answers, and will, indeed, provide us with a “primer on
evangelism”?
The New Testament, then, consists of four sections:
The four Gospels describe in much detail, the life, death,
resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Acts of the Apostles give an account of the growth of
the early Church – its ministry and its witness.
The twenty-one letters, or epistles, are primarily addressed
to believers, and give us instruction in doctrine and in
practice.
The book of Revelation is mainly a prophetical book.
All four of these sections of the New Testament are important
in our search for the message and methods of evangelism, and
all of them will help us to find, and understand, the answers to
our two key questions concerning the message of salvation and
the methods we should use to teach it. But there is one section
which will play the main part in our search and give us most
help for our answers.
The four Gospels are very important because they describe
for us the redemptive facts which provide the basis and
heart of the gospel message, and they also give much help
concerning how that message should be presented.
The twenty-one epistles, or letters, give us many doctrinal
outlines, and these include a number of important aspects
of the message of salvation.
The book of the Revelation also includes, and refers to,
several important gospel truths.
But it is the Acts of the Apostles which must be our
main primer and guide book on the subject of
evangelism. One of the main reasons it has been
inspired by the Holy Spirit, and included in the Word
of God, is to help us in our evangelism of the lost.

4 Chapter 1

THE MESSAGE AND METHODS OF EVANGELISM

T HE GOSPEL S

T H E A C T S O F T HE
APOSTLES

THE
EPISTL ES

Helpful Important Very Important
Sources Sources Sources

Study the Acts of the Apostles
In the Acts of the Apostles we can see the first evangelists,
and the first preachers of the Gospel, at work. We can read in
that book the actual records of what they said when they were
evangelizing, and we can clearly see the methods they used
and what they did. So they are our inspired examples, and role
models, as far as evangelism is concerned:
We should therefore study in great detail the evangelistic
messages of the apostles, as recorded in the Acts of the
Apostles, so that we can understand what we should say
when we are evangelizing.
We should also study, in great detail, the methods the
apostles used in their evangelism, so that we can learn
what we should do when we are evangelizing.
Consequently, we will refer to the Acts of the Apostles
frequently throughout the pages which follow. This inspired
book written by Luke, as guided by the Holy Spirit, will be our
main primer and guidebook on the subject of the evangelism of
children. I trust that you yourself will take time, not just to read
my book (which I trust will be helpful), but to study in great
detail the inspired book, the Acts of the Apostles, which God
has provided to help and guide us in our evangelistic ministry.


Some of you may have specific questions about the message
of salvation:
Should I speak about God’s love or God’s holiness – or
both?
Should I make it clear to unsaved children that God is
their Creator, and that they are responsible to Him?
Should I include repentance in my gospel message?
Should I tell children that if they trust Christ all their sins
will be forgiven?
Should I teach unsaved children that Jesus Christ wants
to be their Lord, as well as their Saviour?
What should be the centre and heart of my gospel message?
Are there any other gospel truths which I should teach to
prepare for that central teaching?
The Acts of the Apostles answers all these questions – and
many more.
Some of you may have specific questions about the methods
you should use when evangelizing children:
Should I always teach the same identical gospel message?
Should I adapt my message to the children I am teaching?
Which parts of my message should always be constant,
and which parts can I adapt?
Should I “give the invitation” when evangelizing children?
What is the invitation?
Should I ask children to raise their hands, or come to the
front, if they want to be saved?
Should I be serious or jocular in my presentation?

The Acts of the Apostles answers all these questions about
methodology – and many more.
I do trust that you will make a study of the evangelistic messages
and methods of the apostles your very first priority, and that you
will base your ministry on what they said and did.

6 Chapter 2

Chapter 2:
Understand The Children

B efore studying the message of salvation, and the methods we
should use in teaching it, it is necessary for us to have a clear
understanding of what the Bible teaches concerning children,
their needs and their potential.
There are many questions concerning children to which we
need the answers, before we can proceed any further:
Are children lost? Do they need to be saved?
Are babies and little children lost?
Can children truly trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour?
At what age can they do so?
Should we speak to children about sin and God’s
judgment?
Are children more open to the Gospel than adults?
The answers to these questions, and to many more, can be
found in God’s Word, the Bible. It is essential that we understand
what God tells us about children, and the evangelism of children,
and that we base our ministry on His Word – rather than listening
to, and basing our ministry on, the viewpoints and opinions of
fallible men.
The Bible teaches us five main truths about children:

Children Need to be Saved
God makes clear, in His Word, several key truths about the
spiritual condition and needs of children:
All children are born into the world with a sinful nature,
inherited from Adam, the federal head of the human race,
and the representative of all men:
“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’” (Romans 3 v10).


“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived
me” (Psalm 51 v5).
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death
through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”(Romans
5 v12).
This universal sinful nature shows itself in universal sinful
actions:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3 v23).
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his
own way” (Isaiah 53 v6a).
“The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they
are born, speaking lies” (Psalm 58 v3).
The result of universal sin is universal death.
“For the wages of sin is death ……” (Romans 6 v23a).
This includes physical death:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and
death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all
sinned” (Romans 5 v12).
It also includes spiritual death:
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven
you all trespasses” (Colossians 2 v13).
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins”
(Ephesians 2 v1).
All children are therefore spiritually dead, and they will
all die physically – as a result of sin.
Because all children are spiritually dead, they are outside
God’s kingdom, and they are all LOST as far as their
position is concerned:
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you
think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he
not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is
straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more
over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray” (Matthew
18 v11-13).
God is a holy and just God. Therefore He must punish sin:
“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men,
resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the
free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5 v18).

8 Chapter 2

“Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2 v3).
We have already seen that all children are lost, as far as
their position is concerned. Those children who have
reached an age of understanding, and accountability (and
this age is much lower than many believe), and have not
trusted Jesus Christ, are also lost as far as their condition
is concerned, and are under the just condemnation of God.
If they die in that condition, without trusting Jesus Christ,
they will be lost forever.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is
condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God” (John 3 v18).
Children therefore need to trust Jesus Christ as their
Saviour. They are not saved by baptism, or any other
church ceremonies; they are not saved because of their
parents; they are not saved by “being good”. They are
only saved through personal faith in Jesus Christ.
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the
deeds of the law” (Romans 3 v28).
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John
1 v12 and 13).
When they trust Jesus Christ there are two main results:
They are justified. All their sin is forgiven, and God
sees them as pure and as perfect as Jesus Christ.
“And by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from
which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13 v39).
They are regenerated. They are “new creatures” with
a new nature. They are not perfect but they are changed:
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one
is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3 v3).
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5 v17).
In considering the spiritual condition and the needs of
children there must be no room for speculation, opinions or
mistaken ideas. We are dealing with the never-dying souls of


boys and girls. If they are already in God’s kingdom, and are
not lost, they do not need to be evangelized. But if they are
spiritually dead (and we have seen that this is the clear teaching
of the Scriptures), outside God’s kingdom and under God’s just
condemnation (if they have reached the age of understanding)
– they need to be evangelized.
It is when our eyes are opened to the true spiritual condition
of children, that we will begin to have a burden to evangelize
them.

Children Can be Saved
True biblical conversion involves a turning from sin
(repentance) and a turning to Jesus Christ (faith). Salvation is
promised to all who repent and believe (Acts 3 v19; 16 v31). But
the question is — can a child turn from sin and have true saving
faith in Jesus Christ?
Unfortunately many Christians believe that children are too
young to turn to Jesus Christ, and that they need to wait until
they are around twelve, thirteen or fourteen years old. But this
is not what the Bible teaches.

Can a child be saved?
God tells us in His Word that a child can truly believe,
and be saved:
“And that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to
fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan
to possess” (Deuteronomy 31 v13).
“That the generation to come might know them, the children who would
be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children; that they
may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His
commandments” (Psalm 78 v6, 7).
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it
would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he
were drowned in the depth of the sea”(Matthew 18 v6).
All the words used in these verses with regard to children
– “fear”, “set their hope” and “believe in” (or trust) — make
it clear that a child can have a personal relationship with
God, and like Samuel can, respond to the voice of God

10 Chapter 2

(1 Samuel 3 v10) – as God the Holy Spirit works in their
hearts.
Also the Bible teaches us, over and over again, that where
there is true faith in Jesus Christ – at whatever age – there
is salvation. Salvation is promised to “whoever believes”
and there is no age limit:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3 v16).
Experience also shows us that children can trust Christ.
Many Christians, including a good number of pastors,
missionaries and well known Christians, date their
conversion from childhood. While this has usually been
followed by a deepening understanding, and a growth in
faith and repentance, they themselves have no doubt that
justification and regeneration took place at that moment
when, as children, they truly believed and were saved.

At what age can a child trust Christ and be saved?
We don’t know. The Bible does not give an age, and neither
should we. Children differ from each other. But the Lord Jesus
did speak about little ones trusting Him (Matthew 18 v6). So
the age when a child can trust Christ is generally much lower
than what many Christians believe. I have found, for example
in my evangelistic ministry, that many children between the ages
of 7 and 10 trusted Christ (plus, of course, some earlier, and
some later, than this age).
This is the vision we need for our ministry to children. We
need to see that as God the Holy Spirit works in their hearts
they can trust Jesus Christ and be saved. And we need to make
this our goal at all times.

There are two kinds of children
Therefore, and as a consequence of all we have outlined, we
need to understand that there are two kinds of children:
Children who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Saviour,
who have been born again, are spiritually alive and have
eternal life, and who are in God’s kingdom. These children


need to be fed and built up in their faith.
Children who have not trusted Jesus Christ. These children
are spiritually dead, lost and outside God’s kingdom. They
need to be evangelized.
Every children’s worker has therefore two responsibilities:
To feed saved children. I have written a book entitled
“Ucan help Christian children to grow” which will help you
with this ministry.
To evangelize unsaved children. This present book has
been written to help you do this.

God Loves Children
The Bible makes it very clear that God loves children:
God showed His love and deep concern for children by
giving many instructions about teaching them in the Old
Testament (Deuteronomy 4 v9, 10; 6 v5-7; 11 v18 and 19;
Psalms 34 v11; 78 v1-8; Proverbs 22 v6; Joel 1 v3).
The Lord Jesus showed His deep love and concern for boys
and girls in a number of ways:
He welcomed them (Mark 10 v13).
He took them in His arms (Mark 10 v16).
He accepted their praise (Matthew 21 v15, 16).
He cared for their physical needs (John 4 v46-54;
Mark 5 v38-43).
He did not want them to be offended (Matthew 18
v6), rejected (Matthew 18 v5) or despised (Matthew
18 v10).
He invited them to come to Him (Mark 10 v14).
He wanted them to be saved (Matthew 18 v11).
He did not want them to be lost (Matthew 18 v14).
What assurance this gives us, as we teach God’s Word to
boys and girls, and as we evangelize them! Children are close to
the heart of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and so is your
work, as you minister to their needs.

12 Chapter 2

Children Are Open to the Gospel
Children are open to anything and everything. They are
sensitive, vulnerable and very impressionable:
The world knows this and tries to win the children.
The advertisers develop special techniques to influence
them.
The cults and false religions take every opportunity to
influence them.
The communists have always made it their goal to
indoctrinate children from an early age.
Unfortunately the Church of Jesus Christ is not always so
alert, and very often misses opportunities to bring the Gospel to
children.
You and I need to understand the following biblical facts
about children, and how they respond to the Gospel:
Children are more open to the Gospel than adults. An
adult must become like a child before he can be saved. A
child already is a child, and God can use the childlike
qualities he possesses (trustfulness, openness and humility)
to lead him to Christ:
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little
children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew
18 v3).
“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as
a little child will by no means enter it” (Mark 10 v15).
The older a person is the harder he becomes, and the less
likely he is to trust Jesus Christ:
“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the
difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no
pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12 v1).
“That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but
keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn
and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright,
and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (Psalm 78 v7, 8).
The teaching of God’s Word can have a deep effect on
children’s lives, and impressions and influences implanted
in childhood are lasting. Win a child and you win an adult:


“And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus”(2 Timothy 3 v15).
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
depart from it” (Proverbs 22 v6).
These biblical facts show us how important it is to evangelize
the children. If they are open to the Gospel; if they are ready to
listen; if these are the years of opportunity when they are being
formed; if it will be harder to reach them in later years – then it
would be a tragedy, and very unwise, if we don’t evangelize
them – NOW.

A Child Saved Is a Life Saved
When is the best age to trust Jesus Christ? The simple answer
is – the sooner the better. Is it not better to be saved at seven
years old rather than seventy? Common sense and experience
agree that it is better to come to Christ early in life. It is better to
know Christ as Saviour during the years when habits and
personality are being formed, rather than after they have been
formed. It is better to learn and absorb the Word of God when
the mind is open and learning is easy, rather than try to do so
afterwards.
The children’s evangelist is not only interested in, and
labouring for, the souls of children, and not only praying that
they will be saved; his goal is also the salvation of lives – whole
lives to be lived for the glory of God. Many believers, who trusted
Jesus Christ in later years, have one regret – that they did not do
so earlier and as children. In this way they would have avoided
the waste of many precious years.
difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no
pleasure in them. While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, are
not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain” (Ecclesiastes
12 v1, 2).
“It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3 v27).
The Bible includes testimonies of those who started to walk
with God while they were young.
David said:
“You have taught me from my youth” (Psalm 71 v17).

14 Chapter 2

“For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth”
(Psalm 71 v5).
Obadiah declared:
“ I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth” (1 Kings 18
v12).
Josiah first began to seek the Lord when he was eight years
old (2 Chronicles 34 v3) and Samuel first responded to the voice
of God when he was still very young (1 Samuel 3 v10), and the
Lord was with him from that time onwards (1 Samuel 3 v19).
Also a number of others, like Daniel, Joseph and Isaac, all seem
to have started walking with God when still young. Think of
the influence and value of such lives, and of many others who
were converted in childhood.
Church history tells us that many spiritual giants were saved
as children.


Chapter 3:
Understand Evangelism

W orld evangelism is the task entrusted to the Church by the
Lord Jesus Christ.
“Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16
v15).
Every believer must take this commission seriously and be
involved in fulfilling it.
However, you and I cannot go into all the world, nor is it
possible for any of us to preach the Gospel to every creature.
Therefore, we need to ask God, the Lord of the Harvest, to show
us where we should evangelize, and whom we should
evangelize.
World evangelism, or total evangelism, involves bringing the
gospel to every tribe and nation, and also to every age group –
including children. Children are included in the words “every
creature”. Indeed children make up one third of the total
population of the world, and in some countries one half!
Therefore, as we ask God to show us where to go and whom to
reach, it is clear that He will lead a substantial number of us
into a ministry to evangelize the children.
Our purpose in this book is to study the evangelism of
children and, in particular, to find out what the Bible teaches us
about the message of salvation, and the methods we should use
in proclaiming and teaching that message.
There are eleven basic principles concerning evangelism, and
especially the evangelism of children, which we must, first of
all, be aware of, and understand; and we will look at them in
this chapter.

The Bible Is Our Source Book
We have already dealt with this point in the first chapter.
But it is so important that we need to come back to it and

16 Chapter 3

emphasize it again.
The starting point in considering your message and methods
is not “What do children enjoy?” or “What can children
understand?” or “What will the children listen to?” or “What
do people tell us to teach and to do?” Your first consideration
must be “What does the Bible say concerning what you should
teach, and how you should teach?” What people say and what
you say is not what matters. You must find out what God says!
The Word of God is your manual for evangelism and,
especially, the Acts of the Apostles, where you can find out what
the apostles taught when they were evangelizing and how they
did this. You need to learn about evangelism from them.

There Is Only One Gospel Message
The New Testament makes it clear, over and over again,
that there is only one gospel message, and only one message of
salvation:
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature’” (Mark 16 v15).
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you
than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said
before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than
what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1 v8, 9).
The gospel message does not change according to the age
group being evangelized. There is not one message for one group
of people and another message for a different group. The gospel
message for children is the same as the gospel message for adults.
You do not have a short list of truths which are “suitable for
children”, a longer list for teenagers, and an even longer one for
adults.
Of course the evangelist must always consider both the age
group and the background of those to whom he speaks, and
this will influence his presentation and application. The way
the message is presented, the methods used, and the emphasis given
to different aspects may vary, but the basic message must always
remain constant. The message must never be altered or diluted in
any way. When working with children you must be careful not to
sacrifice truth in the interests of so-called “simplicity”:


The Gospel Is an Extensive Message
You have been entrusted with the Gospel, and it is your
responsibility to teach it to boys and girls. But you must know
what the Gospel is and that it consists of five main groups of
truths!
Firstly, they need to be taught about Jesus Christ. The word
“Gospel” means “Good News”. The Gospel is Good News
about Jesus Christ – Who He is and what He has done. He
must always be the central theme of our Gospel preaching,
as He was in the Gospel preaching of the apostles.
But if you begin to teach children who know nothing about
the Bible, about the death of Jesus Christ, or the fact that
He is our Saviour, you will find that they have great
difficulty in understanding these truths. Other truths need
to be taught as a foundation for the teaching of these
truths.
Secondly, they need to be taught about sin. They cannot
understand salvation from sin if they don’t know what
sin is. So teaching about the Saviour needs to be preceded
by teaching about sin.
Thirdly, they need to be taught about God. They cannot
understand what sin is if they know nothing about God.
Sin is rebellion against God and the breaking of His laws.
Consequently, the proclamation and teaching of the Good
News concerning Jesus Christ needs to be preceded by
teaching concerning God, and teaching concerning sin.
Fourthly, the children also need to be taught what they
should do to be saved. Therefore the message of salvation
should also include Jesus Christ’s invitation and command
to come to Him, in repentance and faith.
Fifthly, the children need to be taught the results of
salvation and what God promises to do if they trust Christ.
So, it is a help for the children to know what will happen
if they do trust Jesus Christ – that all their sins will be
forgiven, and that they will have a new nature.
Therefore, the message of salvation is an extensive message

18 Chapter 3

which includes teaching about five groups of truths – with a
number of truths in each group. These groups of truths, in their
logical order, are truths about God, truths about sin, truths about
Jesus Christ, truths about what children should do to be saved
and truths about the results of salvation.

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

ITS ITS ITS ITS
FOUNDATION HEART COM- PR OM IS E
MAND

JESUS REPENT- RESULTS
GOD SIN ANCE & OF
CHRIST FAITH SALVA-
TION

The Gospel Is a Powerful Message
When God calls you and me to evangelize children, our first
reaction is usually “But what can I do to help children and to
lead them to Jesus Christ?” We have a feeling of complete
helplessness, and that is because we spend so little time with
them, and have little influence on them. At the same time the
children receive such massive influence and input from so many
other sources.
But you need to remember what God tells you about the
Gospel in His Word:
“For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”
(Romans 1 v16).
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”
(1 Corinthians 1 v18).
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4 v12).
“’Is not My word like a fire?’ says the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that


breaks the rock in pieces?’” (Jeremiah 23 v29).
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return
to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in
the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55 v11).
The power of your ministry is not in you and your abilities;
it is in the message you preach. You have the greatest and most
powerful message boys and girls can ever hear.

The Gospel Is a Doctrinal Message
The teaching of doctrine is simply teaching the great truths
of the Bible – and a number of these truths are included in the
gospel message. It is impossible to truly evangelize children
without teaching doctrine. We can see many examples of
“doctrinal evangelism” in the Acts of the Apostles.
The apostles in their evangelism often taught truths about
God: God the Creator (Acts 14 v15), the Sovereign One
(Acts 17 v26), the One Who planned salvation (Acts 3
v18), and the kind and just One (Acts 14 v17; 17 v31).
The apostles dealt faithfully with, and taught about, sin
when they were evangelizing. They accused the Jews of
having crucified the Lord (Acts 2 v36; 3 v14, 15; Acts 7
v51-53). They told them that they needed to turn from sin
(Acts 3 v26), from wickedness (Acts 8 v22), from vanities
(Acts 14 v15), that their sin would be judged (Acts 17
v31; 24 v25), and that they needed to have their sins
forgiven (Acts 2 v38, 3 v19, 10 v43, 13 v39, 26 v18).
The apostles preached Christ when they were evangelizing,
and in doing so taught many great truths, or doctrines,
about Him: His humanity (Acts 2 v22), His death (Acts 2
v23); His resurrection (Acts 2 v24), His exaltation (Acts 2
v32-36), and His appointment as judge of mankind (Acts
17 v31).
The apostles taught the unsaved the truths of repentance
(Acts 3 v19) and faith (Acts 16 v31) when they
evangelized.
The apostles in their evangelism taught forgiveness,
justification and the gift of the Spirit for all who would

20 Chapter 3

believe (Acts 13 v38, 39; 2 v38).
The evangelism of the apostles certainly was doctrinal.
Consequently, the doctrines, or truths, of the gospel message
should be taught to children. It is unwise and unbiblical to
encourage children to come to Christ when you have not
explained to them “Why”, “How”, and “What for?” The
answers to these questions are the doctrines which you should
include in your teaching. The teaching of doctrine does not follow
evangelism; it should be included in your evangelism. In other
words you must carry out a teaching evangelism.

Evangelism Should Aim for the Mind, Emotions and Will
As you evangelize children you should instruct the mind,
praying that God will enlighten it; involve the emotions, praying
that God will stir them; and challenge the will, praying that
God will change its direction:

A n “ i n t e l l e c t u a l ” GOSPEL
evangelism, which aims
only at the mind, is dry and
sterile.
An“emotional” evangelism,
which aims only at the
emotions, is superficial and
temporary.
A “volitional” evangelism,
which aims only at the will,
is premature and hasty.
You need to follow the pattern
of evangelism to which the
believers at Rome
responded.

“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed (that
is the will) from the heart (these are the emotions) that form of doctrine
(that is the mind) to which you were delivered” (Romans 6 v17).


If you don’t follow this pattern, you run the risk of spurious
conversions or, if the child is truly saved, he may be easily
confused, and quickly discouraged, in the early days of his
Christian life.

We Do Not Know How Much a Child Needs
to Understand to be Saved
We are not told in the Bible how much a child, or anyone
else, needs to understand, before they can come to Christ. Some
children come to Christ on the basis of much understanding of
the Gospel; some children come to Christ with comparatively
little understanding of the Gospel. God is sovereign in salvation:
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot
tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the
Spirit” (John 3 v8).
Obviously there must be some sense of need and conviction
of sin; there must also be some understanding of what Jesus
Christ has done for them, and some understanding of how they
can come to Him. But you must be careful, on the one hand, not
to impose rules and regulations about how much needs to be
understood; and yet, on the other hand, you need to do all you
can to teach the truths of the Gospel to children, and help them
to understand them. When a farmer finds grain growing in soil
which has not been thoroughly prepared, he realises that this is
the exception rather than the rule – and he does not take it as an
excuse to stop preparing his ground thoroughly.

Only the Holy Spirit Can Regenerate
You, as the evangelist, cannot give life to a spiritually dead
child, no matter how gifted you are. This is a work only God
can do. Only the Holy Spirit can regenerate and give spiritual
life. Unless God speaks and works in the child’s life, absolutely
nothing can be accomplished. There can be human effort, and
even human results – when a child responds to pressure, or to
the influence of a teacher’s personality – but, without the
gracious, convicting, regenerating work of the Holy Spirit,
nothing of spiritual significance will happen.

22 Chapter 3

God Is Sovereign in Salvation
It is often difficult, even impossible, to understand and
explain the results of our evangelism:
One child can be deeply convicted of sin, and another
remain totally unconcerned, after listening to the same
message.
One teacher may see several children come to Christ; and
another teacher who is equally faithful may see none trust
the Saviour.
A children’s evangelist may hear that several children
trusted Christ, after he brought a gospel message; and yet
he could teach that same message on other occasions –
without any obvious results.
These are all evidences of God’s sovereignty in salvation.
Understanding this truth will save us from sinful pride when
children trust Christ; it will save us from despair, if we do not
see results; and it will, above all, keep us dependent upon our
sovereign God.

God Has Committed the Ministry of Evangelism to You
and Me
But the truth of God’s sovereignty should not make us
complacent in our evangelism. God does not work in a vacuum.
God uses people like you and me to accomplish His sovereign
purposes:
“That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled
to God” (2 Corinthians 5 v19, 20).
God commands you to evangelize the children, and you must
obey that command with all your heart. A true belief in God’s
sovereignty will not keep you from evangelism. It will, instead,
encourage you to get involved in a ministry of evangelism –
trusting your Sovereign God to work according to His gracious
purpose.


THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
n
priatio

SALVATION RESULTS
Through Justification
Repentance and JESUS and
Appro

Faith Regeneration
CHRIST
His Person
and Work
GOD SIN
ation

His Holiness and Its Universality
Love and Results
Found

We Need to Know the Message
We have already seen that God uses the Gospel message to
speak to the hearts of unsaved children, to convict them of sin
and to regenerate them. It is therefore obvious that the messenger
must know, and understand, the message he is to preach.
It will be our task in the chapters which follow to discover
and examine this message. But it can be summarized briefly as
follows:
Teach the children about God – especially about His
holiness and His love.
Teach the children about sin – especially about its
universality and its results.
Teach the children about Jesus Christ – especially about
His Person and His work.
Teach the children what they need to do to be saved –
especially about repentance and faith.
Teach the children the results of salvation – especially about
justification and regeneration.
It is the Gospel, the message of salvation, which we are going
to examine together, and study, in this book. I would again

24 Chapter 3

encourage you to make it your goal to find out exactly what the
Bible teaches on the subject of evangelism and, as I have already
emphasized several times, I would encourage you, especially,
to study the Acts of the Apostles with this in mind. You need to
study the biblical message of salvation and the biblical methods
of evangelism for yourself. You need to think them through
carefully and prayerfully, and then come up with your own
conclusions from the Word of God. You and I need to follow in
the footsteps of the Berean believers of whom we read:
“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to
find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17 v11).
I trust that my book, and the many chapters which follow
this one, will help you in your study.


Chapter 4:
Teach About God In Evangelism

Many children, indeed the vast majority of children, have no
idea at all of Who God is and of what He is like, although this is
all clearly revealed in the Bible.

Teaching About God Is the Basis of Evangelism
While the Gospel message focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ –
Who He is and what He did – the foundation and basis of that
message is teaching about God:
Teaching about God is essential in your evangelism because
of what the Bible teaches about the purpose and goal of
salvation:
The primary purpose of the Gospel, and the work of
Christ, is to bring people to God (1 Peter 3 v18).
Salvation is turning to God from idols (1
Thessalonians 1 v9).
Salvation is knowing God (John 17 v3).
The Gospel begins with God, and your evangelism should
begin there also.
Teaching about God is essential in your evangelism, because
the children need to know that the plan of salvation
comes from Him:
It was He Who planned our salvation (1 Peter 1 v20).
It was He Who gave His Son (John 3 v16).
It was He Who took the initiative in our salvation
(John 3 v16; 1 John 4 v10).
Teaching about God is essential in your evangelism,
because the doctrine of God is the background and
context of every other doctrine or truth in the gospel
message.

26 Chapter 4

An understanding of the character of God helps
children to understand what sin is (Psalm 51 v4):
An understanding of the character of God helps
children to understand why Jesus Christ had to die
(Romans 3 v25, 26).
An understanding of the character of God encourages
children to repent and believe (Romans 2 v4).

The Apostles Taught About God When Evangelizing
Teaching about God played a major part in the ministry of
the apostles when they were evangelizing.
When the apostles preached to Jews, they assumed some
basic knowledge of the Old Testament teaching about God
– but they still included much teaching about God in their
messages. They especially outlined, in their preaching,
what God had foretold in His Word (Acts 2 v17-24; 3 v18),
how He had performed miracles through His Son (Acts 2
v22), how He had planned Christ’s sacrifice for sin (Acts
2 v23), how He raised His Son from the dead (Acts 2 v24-
32; 3 v15) and how He had exalted His Son (Acts 2 v33-
36; 3 v13).
When the apostles preached to Gentiles in Lystra and
Athens, they found it necessary to teach them more basic
doctrines about God – especially the truth that God is the
Creator to Whom they were responsible (Acts 14 v15; Acts
17 v24-26), that He is the living God (Acts 14 v15), that
He is holy and righteous (Acts 17 v31), and that He will
judge the world (Acts 17 v31).
If you follow the example of these early (and inspired)
evangelists, your evangelism of children will include much
teaching about God.
The four most important truths about God to include in
your evangelistic messages are:
God has spoken to us through the Bible.
God is Creator.


God is holy and just.
God is love.

THE GOSPEL STARTS WITH TEACHING
ABOUT GOD

HE HAS HE IS
SPOKEN CREATOR

God Has Spoken to Us Through the Bible
The first truth which children need to hear about God is
that He has spoken to us, and that He has revealed Himself to
us, in and through, the Bible.
It is important for children to learn and understand that the
Bible is the Word of God, and that what you teach is from that
Word. You need, in this way, to establish the authority of your
message and to answer the question which children frequently
ask – “How do you know this?”
Children need to see that the message you bring is not based
upon your ideas, or someone else’s ideas, but it is what God
says in His written Word.
Consequently, you need to explain that the Bible is different
from any other book in that, while it was written by men, these
men were guided in what they wrote by God the Holy Spirit:
“For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”(2 Peter 1 v21).
We believe that the Bible is inspired, that it is absolutely true
and that it can be depended upon completely and without
reservation, and you need to teach this to the children.

28 Chapter 4

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction inrighteousness, that the man of
God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2
Timothy 3 v16, 17).

“Boys and girls:
You need to realise that this Book is a special Book, because it comes from God. God used men
to write it but He guided them in what they should write. Therefore it is absolutely true.
You need to read it, believe it and do what it says.”

(Here and on the pages which follow I have included a brief application
to the children of each of these truths.
In each case I include the words “Boys and girls” not to indicate that
you should use these words – but to explain that these are applications
directed to THEM.)

God Is Creator
One of the greatest, and most fundamental, truths of
evangelism is the fact that God has created boys and girls, and
that they are therefore responsible to Him. This is a truth which
has often been neglected in present day evangelism; and you
need to be sure that you do not omit it.
This is where the Bible begins:
“In the beginning God created …..” (Genesis 1 v1).
And as we read on through the Scriptures we find that
the call of God to salvation comes from a position of
strength. It comes from the Almighty Creator. God is our
Maker and so He has a claim on our lives; and we are
answerable to Him:
difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no
pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12 v1).
This is what the apostle Paul taught the Gentiles.
When Paul was evangelizing Gentiles in both Lystra and
Athens, he started by teaching them that God was their
Creator (Acts 14 v15, 17; Acts 17 v23, 24, 25, 28).They
were ignorant of this vital gospel truth, and that was why


Paul started there. When Peter and Paul were evangelizing
Jews who already knew that God was their Creator, they
did not need to include this truth in their message to them.
Most of the children you are evangelizing are similar in
their background to the Gentiles in Lystra and Athens.
God is to them, as to the Athenians, the “Unknown God”.
Therefore you need to start your evangelism, like Paul,
with the truth that God is the Creator.
This is what today’s children need to know.
Today’s children are taught the theory of evolution as
historical fact (which of course it is not). This teaching is
completely contrary to, and opposed to, biblical truth, and
its main danger is that it eliminates responsibility to God.
If God is not our Creator we are not accountable to Him –
and this lack of accountability provides the basis for all
humanistic philosophies and ways of life.
“Boys and girls:
The Bible teaches us that God made us. He used our fathers and mothers of course; but it was
He Who gave us life. The Bible calls Him ‘our Creator’. But, remember, because He made us, we
are responsible to Him, and He has the right to ask for our obedience and loyalty.
The Bible says, ‘Remember your Creator in the days of your youth’ (Ecclesiastes12 v1).”

It is important not just to teach the truth that God is Creator to children
but to apply it to them. There are several ways you can do this – both to
unsaved children and saved children:
“Boys and girls:
There are several things which you should understand.
The God Who made everything must be very powerful. Therefore, if you are not a Christian,
He is able to save you, no matter how bad you have been; and, if you are a Christian, He is able
to help you overcome any problems you have – like, for example, a bad temper.
God made you. You must answer to Him for everything you do. You will appear before Him one
day.
“God made you – as you are. Do not complain about how you look. That is how God made you.
God made others as they are. Do not make fun of other children who are a different colour from
you, or who are not as good at something as you are.”

30 Chapter 4

God Is Holy and Just
God’s holiness means that He is completely pure and perfect.
God’s justice is His holiness in action. It means that everything
He does is right, and that He always rewards good and punishes
evil.
These doctrines are vital in your evangelism of children, and
yet they are often neglected. There are a number of reasons why
you should teach them to our unsaved children.
God’s holiness and justice are taught throughout the
Bible:
Over and over again God is called “The Holy One of
Israel” and is described as holy:
“And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6 v3).
“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose
name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to
revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57 v15).
The holiness of God will be the main theme of the
redeemed throughout eternity:
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
(Revelation 4 v8b).
The justice and judgment of God are included many
times in the teaching of Scripture — both in the Old
and New Testaments:
“For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the
world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psalm 96
v13).
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not
believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him”
(John 3 v36).
God’s holiness and justice were preached by the
apostles.
When the apostles evangelized the Gentiles, they taught
these truths as an essential part of their evangelism:
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day in which He will judge
the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given
assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17 v30, 31).


God’s holiness and justice show man his sin.
When children learn something of the purity and holiness
of God, they will see how impure they are, and they will
see sin as something serious – and that it is rebellion against
a holy God.
“Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight”
(Psalm 51 v4a).
God’s holiness and justice explain the cross.
God is holy and therefore a sinner cannot enter His
presence, or go to Heaven, when he dies. But Jesus Christ
became the sinner’s substitute, and God, in His justice,
poured out His wrath and punishment for sin upon His
Son. Therefore the death of Christ was necessary for our
salvation. If God is not holy, there is no need for salvation.
If God is not just, there is no need for the death of Christ:
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed
Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our
peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53 v4 and 5).
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He
might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the
Spirit” (1 Peter 3 v18).
Today’s children do not understand about holiness and
justice.
Children are growing up in a world of low moral
standards with rampant impurity, dishonesty and
profanity. They need to learn what holiness is – as
displayed in the character of God, and in the life of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
In addition, their concept of justice is warped by the
injustices they see all around them – at home, at school
and in the community.
“Boys and girls:
The Bible teaches us that God is completely pure, clean and holy. He never does anything
which is wrong. It is hard for us to imagine Someone Who is pure and without sin. But that is what
God is like.
But God is also fair. This means that He will always reward purity; but it also means that
He will judge and punish sin. And that means that He must punish you and me because we are
all sinners.”

32 Chapter 4

It is important not just to teach the children the truth that
God is holy and just – but also to apply this truth and show
them what it means for them personally. This is a truth which is
necessary for both unsaved and saved children to understand.

“Boys and girls:
There are several important truths about God which you need to know:
God is holy, therefore if you have not trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour you will not be
allowed to enter Heaven where God is. But if you trust Jesus Christ, His righteousness or
goodness will be put in your account, and God will see you as pure and as holy as Jesus Christ
is – and then you can enter Heaven when you die.
Because God is fair He must punish sin. There are two possibilities:

If you trust Jesus Christ you will not be punished for your sin, because that punishment has
been taken for you by Jesus Christ.
If you do not trust Jesus Christ, you yourself will bear your punishment.
Because God is holy He wants children who have trusted Christ to be
holy. He wants each of you to live a life which is pleasing to Him.”

God Is Love
It is important that children have a correct and biblical
picture of God. It is therefore essential that children learn that
God is, as we have seen, holy; but they also need to learn that
He is love. These two truths should be taught together, and in
balance. To teach or emphasize one of them at the expense of
the other will give a false, and unbiblical, picture of God.
The holiness of God makes salvation necessary.
The love of God, His mercy and His grace, make salvation
possible.
There are a number of very good reasons why you should
teach the love of God to your children when you are
evangelizing them:
God’s love is taught throughout the Bible:
In the Old Testament, the love of God is primarily
seen in His relationship with His people, the Jews
(Hosea 11 v8; Jeremiah 31 v3; Lamentations 3 v22).
But it can also be seen in His attitudes towards the


heathen (Jonah 1 v2 and chapters 3 and 4).
In the Old Testament, God’s love is seen in His
gracious invitation to sinners:
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, ‘Though your sins
are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like
crimson, they shall be as wool’” (Isaiah 1 v18).
In the New Testament, the love of God is seen
primarily in His sending of Jesus Christ to die on the
Cross as the sinner’s substitute:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”
(John 3 v16).
God’s love and grace are seen in the salvation of those
who trust Christ:
God’s special love gift to those who trust Jesus Christ is
eternal life:
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love
of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that
we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins”(1 John 4 v, 8, 9, 10).
God’s love is shown in His care as a heavenly Father
for those who are saved.
It is a love from which we can never be separated:
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value
than they?”(Matthew 6 v26).
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height
nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8 v38, 39).
Many children do not know that God is a God of love.
They often have a concept of God as someone with a rod
ready to strike them, if they step out of line. You must
teach them that God is a personal God Who hates sin but
loves sinners.
Many children have no understanding of what love, true
love, is.
Today’s world, and especially today’s media, present
“love” as sexual interest and gratification, with the

34 Chapter 4

continued emphasis upon self, rather than wanting the
highest good for others. In addition, pop music usually
conveys a perversion of love.
Children need to hear and see what love really is – as
portrayed in the biblical picture of God, and especially in
the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
All children need to know that, because of God’s love,
they can be saved.
Above all, children need to see that it is the love of God
which makes it possible for anyone (even the worst and
most wicked sinner) to be saved, to be forgiven and to be
changed.
“Boys and girls:
Do you know that God really loves you – no matter how bad you have been? He loves you so
much that He sent His Son to die for you, and take the punishment for your sins. Now He wants
you to be saved and to live for ever.
The greatest truth you will ever learn is:
‘Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.’
He loves you and He wants the very best for you.”

It is important not just to teach this great truth of God’s love
– but to apply it to both unsaved and saved children, and show
them what it means for them personally:
“Boys and girls:
If you are not saved, the Bible says that God loves you so much that if you ask Jesus Christ
to save you (and really mean it) you will receive eternal life, and all your sins will be forgiven for
ever.
If you are saved, God wants you to show your love for others (even if they don’t deserve it)
just as He has shown His love to you.”


Chapter 5:
Teach About Sin In Evangelism

We want children to trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Saviour, but, before they can do so, they must be aware of the
sin from which they need to be saved. Consequently, careful
and detailed biblical teaching about sin is an essential part of
the evangelist’s message.
There are six facts, or truths, about sin which you should
teach the children – not all at once of course, but over a period
of time, and as the exegesis, and explanation, of the Bible passage
you are teaching allows you to do so:
Sin is against God.
Sin is transgression of the law.
Sin must be punished.
Sin is universal.
Sin is an act.
Sin is a nature.

TRANSGRESSION
OF LAW

AGAINST MUST BE
GOD PUNISHED

UNIVERSAL A NATURE
AN ACT

36 Chapter 5

Sin Is Against God
Sin can only be understood in relation to God – His character
and His words. After David had sinned against Bathsheba and
Uriah he then repented, acknowledging that his sin was
primarily against God:
“Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight;
that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You
judge” (Psalm 51 v4).
Sin is, first and foremost, the breaking of God’s commands,
and should be taught in its vertical connotation, rather than
dealing with it horizontally. Sin, for example, is not just a
question of disobeying one’s parents; it is a breaking of God’s
fifth commandment.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon
the land which the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20 v12).
Sin is not just a question of stealing or lying; it is a breaking
of God’s commandments concerning those two subjects.
Illustrations of sin should, of course, be used, but it should be
made clear that sin is wrong because God says it is.

“Boys and girls:
Do you ever disobey your parents and say words to them which are not nice. Did you know that
this is sin? That’s what the Bible calls it. Why is it sin? Because God in His Word has commanded
us to honour and obey our parents. If we don’t, we are disobeying God, and that’s what sin is.”

You should now be able to see how vital it is that children
know something about God and what He is like.

Sin Is Transgression of the Law
God has revealed the standards He requires in the Law, and
in its summary form — the Ten Commandments.
The Bible says that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3 v4).
Consequently, it is good to teach the children the Ten
Commandments. It is impossible for the children to keep these
commandments, but an understanding of them will help to
convict them of sin, when they see how far short they fall of
them.


Paul wrote, “I would not have known sin except through the law” (Romans 7 v7).
Therefore the teaching, and understanding, of God’s
commandments and standards help to prepare the way for the
gospel message.
“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we
might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3 v24).

“Boys and girls:
Did you know that God has given us rules to obey and follow? There are ten main rules called the
Ten Commandments and they tell us, for example, that we should not steal, or lie, or use God’s
name lightly. Do you know why God gave these rules? He wanted us to know that we are sinners,
and so when we break these rules (and we all do so from time to time) we begin to see that we
need to be saved.”

Sin Must Be Punished
The clear teaching of Scripture is that God is just, and that
He must therefore punish sin. Sin deserves punishment, and
separation from God:
“ The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18 v4).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6 v23).
However, while you must not omit God’s judgment on sin
from your message, you should be wise in the way you teach
this solemn truth. It should always be done lovingly and tenderly
– and with no attempt to frighten or pressurize the children
into “making a decision”. Your responsibility is to warn – not to
frighten.
Also, the fact that God must punish sin explains the death
of Jesus Christ on the cross – why He died, and what happened
during those hours on the cross, when God punished Him for
our sins.
“Boys and girls:
You need to understand that God is always fair. Do you know what that means? It means that He
will always reward goodness. But it also means that He must punish sin. And you and I have
sinned. So God will, and must, punish our sin – however there is someone else who willingly took
that punishment. And that Someone is Jesus Christ.”

38 Chapter 5

Sin Is Universal
The Bible makes it clear (and experience backs this up) that
sin is absolutely universal, encompassing every nation, age group
and culture:
“As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3v10).
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3 v23).
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his
own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53 v6)
.
Children need to be taught, therefore, that they are included
in the universality of sin, and that their sins are not unimportant,
or a source of amusement. In God’s sight, they are all sinners –
and need to be saved.
“Boys and girls:
The Bible tells us that everybody has sinned. We all find ourselves doing things which are wrong.
Old people and young people, boys and girls, those who go to church, and those who don’t.
Everybody! And that includes me too. I have done, and said, and thought, many wrong things too,
just like you. And because of all the wrong things we have done we all need the Lord Jesus Christ
as our Saviour.”

Sin Is an Act
Sin is anything we do, say or think which displeases God.
So it is necessary to speak to children about specific sins, and
give illustrations and examples which are “true to life” and
which the children understand. This was what the Lord Jesus
Christ did, when He dealt with people like the rich young ruler
and the Samaritan woman.
You are not trying to be critical of the children. You are only
pointing out specific sins, so that the children will trust Christ,
and so that the precious remedy of the blood of Christ can be
applied. You are not leading the child to despair – but to Christ
and His forgiveness; you are not leaving the child under the
guilt of sin; you are pointing him to the “Lamb of God Who takes away
the sin of the world” (John 1 v29).


“Boys and girls:
Do you ever feel guilty about the wrong things you have done? Perhaps it was an unkind word to your
sister, or a lie to your mother. Perhaps you took something which did not belong to you. Or perhaps
you remember bad thoughts you had about someone. These are all sins. But the good news is that
God wants to forgive all your sins and take away your guilt – so that you can be happy and contented.
He wants you to trust His Son Jesus Christ as your Saviour – and when you do that ‘the slate will
be wiped clean’ – for ever.”

Sin Is a Nature
The children need to understand why they sin. It is because
they have a sinful nature, and what they do is simply the result
of what they are. Each child is born with a bias towards wrong:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can
know it?” (Jeremiah 17 v9).
Also, it is important for those children who are self-righteous,
and do not see themselves as guilty of sinful acts, to realise that
they are already guilty before God, because of the sinful nature
they possess.
“Boys and girls:
You need to remember that sin is not just what we do. It is what we are. Our hearts and our
natures are sinful. We were born that way. And even babies and little children start doing and
saying and thinking things which are wrong. Why? Because they are wrong – inside. We don’t
have to be taught to do wrong things. We need to be taught, and to learn, the things which are
right. We especially need to learn how to trust Jesus Christ as our Saviour, because He will not
only forgive us our sins but He will also give us a new nature.”

It is the evangelist’s responsibility therefore to teach children
about sin – but only as a preparation for what you are going to
teach them about Jesus Christ, and God’s remedy for sin. The
bad news needs to precede the good news – otherwise the good
news would not be understandable. But, at the same time, the
bad news should always be followed by the good news.
As you teach about sin, you need to pray that the Holy Spirit
will work in the children’s hearts, and that He will use the Word
you teach to help the children understand what sin is, and to be
convicted of it.

40 Chapter 6

Chapter 6:
Teach About The Lord Jesus Christ In Evangelism

T he Gospel is, first and foremost, a message about a Person –
the Lord Jesus Christ. The good news is that this Person, the
Lord Jesus Christ, saves boys and girls, men and women:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17 v3).
“But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the
Greeks foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1 v23).
Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ there is no Gospel. So your
evangelism must always be Christ-centred. He is the central
theme of the Scriptures and the central theme of the gospel
message, and this should be reflected in your ministry to the
children.
This does not mean that you leave out the doctrines about
God and sin which we have already discussed. These are the
foundational truths of the Gospel, just as the doctrines of Jesus
Christ are the heart of the Gospel – and these foundational truths
help prepare the way for the good news.

The New Testament Evangelists Preached Christ
We have already seen that the Acts of the Apostles is our
main primer, or teaching manual, on the subject of evangelism,
because in that book we see, and hear, those early apostolic
evangelists preach the Gospel. It is significant that, while they
do include the foundational doctrines of God and sin in their
evangelistic messages, their preaching always led to Jesus Christ.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved”(Acts 4 v12).
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to
them” (Acts 8 v5).
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached
Jesus to him” (Acts 8 v35).
“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son


of God”(Acts 9 v20).
“Explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise
again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the
Christ”(Acts 17 v3).
They had different approaches, and these approaches
depended upon the circumstances and the people to whom they
were speaking, but they always arrived at the same destination
– the great truths concerning Jesus Christ which we will study
in the remainder of this chapter.
The preaching of Christ in the gospel message involves the
teaching of two main truths, or groups of truths, concerning
Him:
Truths about the Person of Christ – Who He is.
He is God the Son.
He is perfect Man.
Truths about the Work of Christ – what He did:
His sinless life.
His death.
His resurrection.
His exaltation.
Both groups of truths should be taught to your children when
you are evangelizing them. You cannot, of course, do this all at
once! But you should aim to do so over a period of time as the
Bible passages, on which your lessons are based, allow you to
do so.
Truths About the Person of Christ
It is essential to teach the children Who Jesus Christ is. It is
Jesus Christ Himself Who saves children. Salvation is a personal
relationship between the child and the Person of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore the children need to know Who He is, and see
Him as He really is.
There are two key truths about the Person of Jesus Christ,
which you should teach your children, when you are
evangelizing them.

42 Chapter 6

THE GOSPEL CENTRES ON
TEACHING ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
HIS
HIS RESURRECTION
IS O K

DEATH
H WR

HIS
SINLESS
LIFE HIS
EXALTATION
IS R N
H PE SO

HE IS HE IS
GOD PERFECT
THE SON MAN

Jesus Christ is God the Son
The Bible teaches clearly, over and over again, that Jesus
Christ is God. This is a vital truth for children to understand,
because it is only as God that He is able to save sinners.
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached
among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory”
(1 Timothy 3 v16).
The apostles in their evangelistic preaching continually
emphasized His Lordship and Deity:
“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son
of God” (Acts 9 v20).
The apostles often used the title “Son of God”, when they
were preaching about Him, and this was understood by them
(and by their listeners) to mean that He was truly God. But
because so many people and cults speak today of Jesus Christ as
the Son of God (without believing that He is divine), it is better
and wiser for you to use the title “God the Son”. And it is also
better to give Him His full name “the Lord Jesus Christ” or “the
Lord Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” rather than just call Him “Jesus”.
In this way you are once again emphasizing His deity.
The truth of the deity of Jesus Christ is vital because it is as
God that He is able to forgive sins, and to change lives.


“Boys and girls:
You need to remember that Jesus Christ is God. He is different from us. He can tell the wind to
stop blowing, and the waves to stop roaring. He can give blind men their sight, and make it
possible for lame men to walk. He can even raise people from the dead. He can do anything! This
means that if you are not saved He can forgive all your sin – no matter how bad you have been.”

Jesus Christ is Perfect Man
The clear teaching of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ
is completely, yet sinlessly, human.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not
confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4 v2, 3).
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5 v21).
And the apostles, in their evangelistic preaching made it clear
that Jesus Christ was a man, and that He was human:
“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is
preached to you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13 v38).
God the Son, the Word of God, became flesh (John 1 v14)
and lived a perfect and sinless life – without, at any time, or in
any way, sacrificing His deity. And the children need to
understand that it was only as a man He could become a
substitute for men. A substitute has to be of the same nature as
those for whom He is the substitute. And He had to be a perfect
man because He could only take the place of sinners if He Himself
was without sin.

“Boys and girls:
Do you know what a substitute is? He is a person who takes the place of another person. A
football team usually has substitutes who sit on the bench at the side of the football pitch. If a
player is hurt, or is not playing well, a substitute is sent on to take his place. The substitute is also
a football player – like the one whose place he takes. Jesus Christ became our substitute. He
was human – just like us but one hundred per cent without sin because He is God; and He took
our place when He died on the Cross. He took the punishment for sin so that we would not need
to be punished.”

44 Chapter 6

Jesus Christ is Both God and Man – Our Mediator
Consequently, you teach your children that Jesus Christ is
the God-man, but you need to emphasize that He is One Person
– not two! This may be difficult to understand, but it is a truth
which we need to accept and believe.
Only as the God-man could He accomplish the work of
salvation, and, because He is both God and Man, He can be the
link or Mediator between God and man – and our great High
Priest.

Truths About the Work of Christ
There are four truths about the saving work of Jesus Christ,
which you need to teach your children, when you are
evangelizing them.

His Sinless Life
We have already referred to this truth and its importance.
Only a sinless man could die for sin. So you need to show the
children that everyone who came into contact with Jesus Christ,
and knew Him during His 33 years of life here on this earth,
testified to His sinlessness:
His Father said so (Hebrews 1 v8, 9).
His friends said so (Acts 3 v14; 2 Corinthians 5 v21; 1
Peter 2 v22; 1 John 3 v3, 5).
His enemies said so (Matthew 27 v3, 4; Matthew 27 v19;
Luke 23 v41; Luke 23 v47; John 18 v38).
The demons said so (Mark 1 v23, 24).
It is also important to realise, and explain, that all the
sacrifices of animals “without blemish” for sin in the Old
Testament pointed forward to the Sinless One, Who would be
the eternal sacrifice for sin.


“Boys and girls:
You and I have sinned many times – and God must punish our sins, unless someone else takes
our place, and bears our punishment for us. But that someone else must have no sin of his own
if he is going to die for our sin. Otherwise he would have to be punished for his own sin. Is there
Someone like this? Yes, there is! The Lord Jesus Christ never sinned. So He was able to die
for our sin. And He loves you and me very much. So He was willing to die for our sin.”

His Death
The death of Christ is the central theme of the whole Bible,
the central theme of the gospel message, and the central theme
of the doctrines of Jesus Christ:
In the Old Testament it is foretold.
In the four Gospels it is outlined.
In the epistles it is explained.
In the Acts of the Apostles it is preached.
The death of Jesus Christ was preached in all the gospel
sermons in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 3 v15; 3 v18) – and His
death should also be the focus of the gospel message which you
teach your children.
There are several aspects of His death which you especially
need to teach, and explain, to your unsaved children:
The purpose of His Death
He died so that sinners could be saved from the
consequences of their sin.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that
He might bring us to God”(1 Peter 3 v18a).
He died so that sinners could be changed, and live a
life pleasing to God:
“Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous
for good works” (Titus 2 v14).
The nature of His Death
It was substitutionary. He took our place.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and
by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53 v5).

46 Chapter 6

It was sacrificial. God the Father punished His Son
and poured out on Him His wrath for our sin.
“And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53
v6b).
“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief”
(Isaiah 53 v10a).
It was satisfactory. His work on the cross was a
finished and completed work; and nothing needs to
be added to it:
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’
And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19 v30).
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10 v12).
The results of His Death
When a sinner (child or adult) turns from his sin, and
trusts Jesus Christ, there are a number of consequences:
He is justified (Romans 3 v24, 25). All his sin is
forgiven.
He is regenerated (Titus 3 v5, 6). He is a new person.
He is adopted (Galatians 4 v3-5). He is a child of God.
He is redeemed (1 Peter 1 v18, 19). He is free.
He is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6 v19,
20). He is able to live in a new way.
He has eternal life (John 3 v16). He will live forever.
All of these results are because Jesus Christ died for us on
the Cross.

“Boys and girls:
Do you realise how much Jesus Christ must have loved you and me – even though we are
sinners, and have done nothing to deserve His love! We were really His enemies and completely
ignored Him. And yet He said to His Father, “I will take their sin upon Myself and I will take the
punishment for all that sin – so that they don’t have to.”
And that is what He did on the Cross. He took our place and our punishment so that we could be
saved.”

His Resurrection
In the Acts of the Apostles the resurrection of Jesus Christ
played a major part in their evangelistic sermons. His resurrection

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